MP 12 Lambor (I’m just gonna call him Sideswipe from here on out) was released in October, 2012. I spotted him at the Toys R’ Us near my apartment (sadly closed now) and was surprised to see an MP toy on the shelf. I couldn’t believe how small the box was. I thought, “This looks nice…” but $50? Nah, I didn’t have $50 for a character I didn’t really care about.

And the rave reviews poured in but I still wasn’t in deep regret mode yet. I didn’t really get there until about a year later when I got my hands on Tigertrack. I realized this mold is freaking…AWESOME. Just so much fun to transform back and forth, and the robot mode looks amazing and the car is badass.

But Tigertrack bugged me. Cause he was yellow. And Sideswipe is RED, like the real Walter Wolf Countach we all knew and loved from the 80s. Sideswipe is a REAL character, and Tigertrack is made up and phony. Now I NEEDED Sideswipe.

And he was going for anywhere from $100-150 on amazon japan and yahoo auctions. I was well aware of the supposed “2nd production run” but that wasn’t sold here in Japan. And there was no WAY I’d sully my collection with a bootleg. I wanted the real thing. I could just pony up the cash, but I had a feeling Takara would revisit it someday, and boy, am I glad I waited!!

The only drawback to MP 12? The almost comically-oversized Autobot symbol permanently tampoed on his chest. Hey Sideswipe, maybe your disguise could be a little less obvious? I think Astrotrain can see your symbol from space!

So not only is Takara FINALLY reissuing Sideswipe domestically, but he’s also gonna be tampo-free just like Tigertrack. And only 6000 yen!! Just one snag…he was a TF Expo exclusive. And I don’t wanna go.

BUT!! Thanks to the kind generosity of fellow board member Dai Omega, I didn’t have to go….he picked one up for me!! So now, finally, at long last, I too have a genuine Takara Sideswipe without having to pay inflated after-market prices….AND….no giant symbol either!!

Dai Omega is a SUPER awesome dude, and my TF Expo Lambor arrived at my door today!!!

The box looks identical to the normal release except for a shiny silver TF Expo sticker affixed promising a “special sticker” set inside.

I cut the tape and pulled out the tray. There he is!! In gorgeous Lamborghini red!! No Autobot sticker on the hood!!

So where IS the Autobot sticker? Probably in the box, in the envelope with the manual.

What in the F*CK?? The box was empty. No manual. No collector card. No stickers.

I’m really ashamed about what happened next, especially considering all that’s going on in the world this week, the war in the Middle East, the civil unrest in Missouri, the deaths of beloved entertainers. I freaked out and over-reacted like a spoiled bratty 5 year old when I saw my toy was missing the book and stickers. Yeah, I’m 36 years old and I got soooo angry…I was sure that any attempt to get them replaced would lead me to excuses about it being a limited exclusive and blah blah blah. Anyone who has lived in Japan knows that yes, Japanese people are capable of the best customer service you’ve ever encountered in your entire life…..BUT….when the answer is “no”….man, they can shut you down like nobody’s business.

Thankfully this wasn’t the case. I called Takara customer service and an extremely wonderful lady that spoke English assured me that I’d have the replacement stuff in a day or two. Whew. Crisis averted.

All right, with that out of the way, how is the toy? Pretty good I think. He looked fairly well pegged together in car mode. Not too gappy. Paint isn’t as nice as I’d hoped, considering all the complaints this guy got the first time around. There’s a little smudge right on the center of the hood. You know, the part of the toy that’s supposed to be pristine and symbol-free, drawing the eye?

Transforms the same as Tigertrack. Good thing I already had him, cause without instructions how could I have transformed this one? The gun doesn’t seem to want to stay in his right hand OR left hand. Which is weird cause Tigertrack holds his just fine.

He seems to have the original Sideswipe “squinty-eyed/stoned” face. His eyes definitely look slightly different than Tigertrack’s. Other than this detail, he essentially IS Tigertrack with red instead of yellow. Overall I’d have to say Tigertrack is higher quality though….his build quality is better and the paint is slightly better on him than Sideswipe.

So other than the missing stuff, I’m a happy camper. I finally have my MP Sideswipe and the lack of the Autobot symbol gives him that Diaclone feel. And thanks to Dai Omega, I didn’t have to pay an outrageous sum for him, and that’s the best part.

As always, sorry my pics are crappy. Hopefully the important stuff is easy to make out! I’ll take pics of the stickers when they arrive, if anyone wants to see that too!

 

How's the red paint quality? Is it on par with Tigertrack's or not as fully coated?

Thanks!

Randy

 

Nice review. Totally get you with feeling how you did then feeling like crap over getting that worked up over something like that. It does feel bad but hey are least you realised it right?

He looks nice. You going to leave him bare or stick a (smaller) Autobot symbol on him? I realise that might beat the point though. Heh.

One thing I'm surprised about is they couldn't take 5 minutes to edit out the Autobot Symbol on the box to give a unique box?  

Oh well, he looks good and again nice review.  

 

It's a shame it's an exclusive as I prefer the clean hood like Tigertrack.

 

I think the red paint is pretty evenly applied. In car mode it looks pretty good but in robot mode it contrasts with the unpainted red plastic parts, like in his chest. Tigertrack's paint is just ever so slightly more even.

I'm planning on leaving the chest without a symbol. It would be nice if there were a way to have non-permanent symbols, like vinyl clings (like Colorforms) that could be stuck and removed without leaving residue. Can't believe nobody like reprolabels has offered something like that yet.

 

Hi guys. The second production run is a bootleg? It isn't made by Takara?

 

As far as I know, (and I'm not claiming to be an expert) the second production run was made by Hasbro Asia, which is not the same as Takara Tomy.

Reviews after it came out seemed to indicate that it used the face from Red Alert/Tigertrack, so technically it's a variant. It's not a bootleg. When I said "bootleg" earlier I was referring to all the cheap knock-offs on ebay and stuff out of China, not the 2nd run version. I know some people don't mind, but I personally would only be happy with the real thing.

But the actual MP-12 Lambor was never reissued in Japan by TT after its initial run in 2012 until now. And unlike the "2nd run" one sold by BBTS, this one seems to have the original Lambor face.

I don't own any of the other variants, so I can't compare, but the red paint in car mode almost seems darker and '"richer" than the pics I've seen online of the original, but it may all just come down to lighting. I know Lamborghini was reported to be very particular about getting the exact shade of red right.

I'm holding it next to Smokescreen and his red is noticably brighter than Lambor's.

Sorry I can't be of more help without any other versions to compare it to!

 

Jealous of you! I wanted this bad  

 

Big symbol actually still irks me. Not enough to buy another one though. Wasn't too keen on the "variant" either. Definitely great for those that missed out. One of the few times waiting was actually better. Just curious... why did they decide to take the sign off?

 

The KO's aren't so bad. I got one to have Red Alert because by the time I wanted to get him there was only the really marked up prices. So I got a KO to see how good it would be and to have it as a placeholder to have at least SOME version of him. When the 2nd Run preorder went up for Alert I jumped on it. So now I have that waiting. But the KO is still good for at least having "Something". I'm wondering now if Alert will be different for the second one compared to the first... like Sideswipe was...

If you aren't against stickers, Reprolabels has a red sticker you can put over the hood which covers up the symbol. Then you can choose a symbol size.

 

Thanks for the info. Mine should be here in a couple of days and I can compare it to the original Amazon version.

Randy

 

EVERYBODY!!!

You can all relax now...the crisis is over!! My stuff arrived from Takara.

I know you were all worried...the candle-light vigils and all....but it's all gonna be OK. My MP-12 Lambor is now complete.

All right...sarcasm aside, I am very pleased with the excellent customer service TT provided. Got the bag with the instruction manual, collector card, and tiny sticker sheet with two Autobot stickers. Manual and card are identical to MP-12...he had the symbol on him. Only difference is that tiny sticker sheet, which looks like Tigertrack's but it says "Lambor" instead. And the symbols have a white outline, which I don't believe Tigertrack's had.

So yeah...that's that!

Looking forward to seeing actual comparisons once Randy gets his in hand!

 

Ahh ok. So we can cancel Red Alert and lower shields? Should we stay at Yellow Alert just in case?

 

Well that stinks. So BBTS is misleading us when they have the second production run listed as "by Takara"?

 

I don't know.

I guess it depends on some kind of distinction between Takara and Hasbro Asia or whatever.

All I know is, Takara Tomy has not made MP 12 available domestically here in Japan at all since the very first run. Until this exclusive.

All of the Asia Exclusives, like YOTH and MP 11 resissue and Grimlock reissues are all considered "imports" here.

The only time I remember a second run on an MP here was Rodimus, obviously...and Soundwave got one about a year after his release. And yes, I think there was an MP 10 re-release but I missed it.

 

Anyone know where you can get one. I was waiting for BBTS to put up a preorder, but they never did

 

Does yours have trouble holding his gun?
On mine the gun keeps popping out of his hand.

 

Yeah, it doesn't peg in really well. If I manage to jam it in there and don't touch it, it's OK though.

 

Agreed! I haven't seen any preorders for primal, Lio, or this figure ;/

 

Found a Japanese guy's site with some really nice pics of this. Unfortunately, no side by side shots with the regular release.

If anyone has both, I'd love to see a comparison, cause I'm curious if the red paint matches the original.

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